Supreme Council member Han Jun-ho of the Democratic Party of Korea apologized for Vice Minister Lee Sang-gyeong of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's remarks on real estate.
At the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 22nd, Han said, "I first want to say I am truly sorry to the public, as a Supreme Council member of the party and a member of the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, for causing concern to the public due to the recent inappropriate remarks by the first vice minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Lee Sang-gyeong."
Appearing on a YouTube channel on the 19th, the vice minister said, "You feel stressed because you are trying to buy (a home) now," and "If the market stabilizes and home prices fall, you can buy then," putting him at the center of controversy. It was an answer to criticism that end users are being harmed as the real estate measures the government released on Oct. 15 strongly regulate gap investing.
In fact, the vice minister himself faces allegations that he bought a high-priced apartment worth around 3 billion won while using a jeonse deposit to finance the purchase. With public sentiment in Seoul and the greater capital area unfavorable toward the real estate measures, once the vice minister's remarks became known, voices grew louder criticizing the government and the ruling party for "do as I say, not as I do" on real estate.
With public opinion souring, an official apology was made at the Democratic Party's Supreme Council meeting in an attempt to contain the fallout. Han said, "Public officials—especially senior officials such as the vice minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport—must not forget that every single word is directly tied to public trust," adding, "Taking this incident as a lesson, our ruling party will listen more humbly to the public and set state affairs straight with a responsible attitude."
Park Su-hyeon, the Democratic Party's chief spokesperson, also told reporters right after the Supreme Council meeting, "Han's apology is the party's official position," adding, "It is the party's position that we must be especially restrained in words and actions that could invite attacks on matters that are not the essence or shake the policy stance, and we will point out such issues at the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee audit as well."